11-1: bees.  Mason bees are soli tary bees, meaning they don't form col onies and aren't susceptible to the hive coll apses that threaten the global food supply. They are more active in cool, moist mornings tha n honeybees, and their remarkable lifecycle meansthey gather a year's supply of food -and&nbs p;do all their pollinating -in the spring w hen fruit trees are flowering.  Learn how totend them and increase your flock and buy some fa rmgrown bees at a discount (if you wish). 2-4 : trees.  Fruit trees - especial ly apples and pears, and to a lesser extent, plu ms - thrive with yearly pruning to encourage fruitproduction and minimize bough breakage and disease.  Late winter is the perfect time toprune for structure and fruiting; we' ll discuss and demonstrate examples of how to trai n and prune young trees, repair years of neglect in mature trees, and how to maintain a balance offruiting wood and young growth.  Bring yourown sharp loppers or secateurs if you want to pra ctice!  

Not so very long ago, the land we now call Tryon Life Community Farm was the hunting grounds of  the Tualatin Kalapuya and the Clackamas Chinook.

For thousands of years they thrived, until 200 years ago devastating diseases swept through their villages severely reducing the population. Before they had a chance to recover, waves of Euro-American colonization hit the land we now call Oregon. Years of struggle to retain tribal autonomy followed, as did many promises made and broken by the United States government. Mounting pressure for more land by white settlers led the federal government to extinguish all native claim to land in the Willamette and Tualatin valleys and forcibly remove the tribes to the Grande Ronde and other reservations in 1855.

The government then set about giving the land away to Euro-American settlers, including Hotchkiss Socrates Tryon who claimed the valley which is now his namesake park. His name is well known, even included in the name of our land project, while those from whom the land was stolen have been forgotten by many.

Why do you need to know this?  Learning and sharing the history of this land, and that of all western Oregon, is key to understanding why those who visit, volunteer, come to classes, and enjoy events here, have been predominately white. And why this needs to change.

Over the past few years, TLC Farm has been actively reshaping itself to counter this legacy of colonialism.  To do so, a new collective created by and for people of color has taken root on this land.  The Sacred Lands Alliance is working with TLC Farm volunteers to make the land and programs more accessible for frontline communities who have been alienated from thier lands. 

We can't undo the past, but we can absolutely shape the future.

Thanks for your part in making the future more just and equitable, here at TLC Farm and in all the places we collectively strive for justice.

Join us to celebrate that best of fruits - the APP LE! For our third annual Apple Festival, we 'll explore the many wonderful ways to engagewith apples - including: apple tastings of our many heirloom apple varietals, apple c ider pressing, apple-themed cocktails, a n apple pie contest (bring your best pie!), and n sharing songs to sing to apple trees. W e'll also have a tour of TLC Farm, with a sp ecial emphasis on the orchard, and music and acti vities for all.   This is a fundraiser f or TLC Farm's educational programs with a sug gested donation of $5-20, but no one turned away for lack of funds.    As always, there is no onsite parking!  Ride your bike or organize carpools and catch the shuttle at Rive rdale High School (9727 SW Terwilliger Blvd.)